Money Saving Monday: Texas Tax Free Shopping Weekend

Our Tax Free Shopping Weekend for Texas is this weekend, August 21 - 23.  This provides an excellent opportunity to save even more on the end of summer clearance sales, school supply offers, and necessary back to school shopping.

New This Year

School Supplies are included this year.  According to the Texas Comproller website, these items are included:

* Binders
* Book bags
* Calculators
* Cellophane tape
* Blackboard chalk
* Compasses
* Composition books
* Crayons
* Erasers
* Folders; expandable, pocket, plastic, and manila
* Glue, paste and paste sticks
* Highlighters
* Index cards
* Index card boxes
* Legal pads
* Lunch boxes
* Markers
* Notebooks
* Paper; loose leaf ruled notebook paper, copy paper, graph paper, tracing paper, manila paper, colored paper, poster board, and construction paper
* Pencil boxes and other school supply boxes
* Pencil sharpeners
* Pencils
* Pens
* Protractors
* Rulers
* Scissors
* Writing tablets

If you don’t have the money to buy all of your back to school items at once, you are now allowed to place your items on a layaway plan.

Backpacks are also exempt from taxes this year.

Qualifying Clothing, Footwear, and Backpacks:

* Baby clothes
* Backpacks for use by elementary and secondary students
* Belts with attached buckles
* Boots - cowboy, hiking
* Caps/hats - baseball, fishing, golf, knitted
* Coats and wraps
* Diapers - adult and baby
* Dresses
* Gloves (generally)
* Gym suits and uniforms
* Hooded shirts and hooded sweatshirts
* Hosiery
* Jackets
* Jeans
* Jerseys - baseball and football
* Jogging apparel
* Neckwear and ties
* Pajamas
* Pants and trousers
* Raincoats and ponchos
* Robes
* Shirts
* Shoes - sandals, slippers, sneakers, tennis, walking
* Socks (including athletic)
* Shorts
* Suits, slacks, and jackets
* Sweatshirts
* Sweat suits
* Sweaters
* Swimsuits
* Underclothes
* Work clothes and uniforms

Restrictions

All items must be priced less than $100.  If you are ordering online, this includes shipping.

The following clothing and footwear are not exempt and will be taxed regardless of price:

* Accessories (generally) - barrettes, elastic ponytail holders, wallets, watches
* Backpacks - unless for use by elementary and secondary students
* Baseball cleats and pants
* Belt buckles (without belt)
* Boots - climbing, fishing, rubber work boots, ski, waders
* Buttons and zippers
* Cloth and lace, knitting yarns, and other fabrics
* Dry cleaning services
* Football pants
* Golf gloves
* Handbags and purses
* Handkerchiefs
* Hard hats
* Helmets - bike, baseball, football, hockey, motorcycle, sports
* Ice skates
* Jewelry
* Laundering services
* Leather goods - except belts with buckles and wearing apparel
* Pads - football, hockey, soccer, elbow, knee, shoulder
* Personal flotation devices
* Rented clothing (including uniforms, formal wear, and costumes)
* Roller blades and skates
* Safety clothing, glasses
* Shoes - bicycle (cleated), bowling, golf

Will you be taking part in the Tax Free Shopping Weekend?  Leave us a comment and let us know your plan!

5 Ways to Save Real Money While Eating Out

1. Purchase gift cards at a discount. Restaurant.com is an excellent source for purchasing discount gift cards.  Their regular rates at $10 for $25 gift cards and $3 for $10 gift cards.  (Use the code PORTION during checkout and get your $25 gift card for $2!)  Check your local newspaper and radio stations for special promotions.

2. Use coupons. The Entertainment book is a great place to get coupons for restaurants.  Check coupon websites like Valpak for discounts at local restaurants.  Check restaurant websites for printable coupons.

3. Sign up for exclusive offers. Visit your favorite restaurants’ websites and sign up for their newsletters or join their “clubs”.  You will usually receive special offers in your email for discount dining and often free treats on your birthday.

4. Ask for a lunch portion. Don’t pay full price for a meal too big to eat.  Many restaurants are happy to serve you a lunch portion at night.

5. Inquire about happy hour specials. Some restaurants run happy hour specials on appetizers that could substitute as an entre.  A quick and easy way to get your meal half off!

Where to Find FREE or Cheap Books

FREE Books

Did you know copyrights run out on books? Most of the classics you buy in the store are available to download on the internet for free. Websites like Project Gutenberg and The Internet Archive are excellent sources for downloading books that have entered the public domain. If you aren’t into classics, you still need to check out these sites. Many books with copyrights prior to 1964 were not renewed and books printed without a proper copyright prior to 1989 are already in the public domain.

Some of my favorite public domain books include:

Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Dracula by Bram Stoker
The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells

Many authors release their books for free over the internet. Some do it because they love writing and want to share their works. Some authors, like one of my favorites - Douglas Clegg, release their books for marketing purposes.

Publishing companies will run promotions offering free books for marketing purposes as well. We recently told you about one of these offers here.

It’s worth your time to visit the websites of your favorite authors and publishers to look for special promotions and to sign up for their newsletters.

Random House
Harper Collins
Douglas Clegg

FREE Books (+ shipping)

If you read a lot, you probably have a lot of books you no longer need. There are several websites you can use to swap your books with other readers.

My personal favorite site for swapping books is swaptree.com. I have had tons of success getting books I want through this site. The biggest advantage of this site is you make a direct swap. You don’t let go of your book until you are swapping for something you want.

Other sites like PaperBackSwap are great, but they work on a points system. I like to read fairly rare books and since I run the risk of sending out books and not finding the books I’m looking for, I don’t use these sites as often. If you read popular, mainstream books, you should definitely check it out.

SwapTree
PaperBackSwap
BookMooch

Used Books

Books are one of the best things to get used. The story is the same no matter how many times it’s been read!

Garage sales are the best resource for finding used books. This past weekend I got my son some excellent books for $.10 each! Most garage sale books run $.25 - $.50. A real bargain!

Goodwill, Half Price Books, and local used bookstores are places you can find real treasures for your library.

Some online sources of used books include:

Ebay - Don’t forget to shop through Ebates to save even more!
Half.com
AbeBooks
Alibris

Bargains on New Books

You can find lots of great books in your bookstore’s bargain section. Make sure you peruse this area first when you enter the bookstore.

Amazon.com offers an entire section of bargain bookson their website. You can find lots of great books for under $5.

A great resource I use on Amazon is their 4-for-3 promotion. If you select 4 qualifying books, you pay for 3 and get the 4th free. Thankfully the books we like are usually included in the promotion.

Amazon.com Bargain Books
4-for-3 promotion
Barnes and Noble Bargain Books
Barnes and Noble Bargain Books Under $5

10 Steps to Save Money at the Grocery Store

1. Create a menu for the entire week based on the sales ad. Utilize the meats and produce that are on sale throughout your entire menu to maximize your savings.

2. Seek out coupons for the items on your list. Having coupons on hand from your Sunday paper is a great way to save extra money, but you can still shop with coupons without the traditional inserts.  Websites like Coupons.com, Redplum, Shortcuts, Cellfire, and Bringing Hope to the Table provide ways for you to save using coupons.  Sign up for websites like Kraft Foods, Betty Crocker, and Right @ Home for additional printable coupons.  You can also use google to search for individual coupons.

3. Shop the perimeter of your store. Look high and low for the best deals.  Prepackaged foods can really eat away at your budget.  Purchase fresh ingredients on sale to make healthy meals and snacks at home.  When making your selections, be sure to check the top and bottom shelves for the best bargains.

4. Buy store brand (generic) products. Most generic products taste just as great as the name brands but cost much less.  There is virtually no difference between brands when purchasing staples such as flour, sugar, rice, etc.  If you are in doubt or concerned about what’s in the product, simply read the ingredients on the label.  If a generic version is cheaper than buying a name brand with a coupon, don’t buy the name brand just because you can use a coupon!

5. Calculate the price per unit. Divide the total cost by the number of ounces, pounds, etc. to determine the cost per unit.  Buy the size that is the most cost effective - provided you can use the entire package before it expires.  If you are using a coupon, calculate the prices with the coupon included before dividing by the units.  You always want to purchase the cheapest per unit package.

6. Only purchase the amount you will use. Stores often promote items as 10 for $10 or 5 for $5.  This is usually a gimic; you don’t have to purchase all 10 items to get the sales price.  Each item will simply ring up $1.  If you are stocking up on an item at rock bottom prices, check the expiration date!  You aren’t saving any money if it will expire in the pantry before you can eat it.

7. Maintain a pricebook. Sometimes “sales” items aren’t really on sale.  The best way to know if a price is low is to keep track of the items you purchase on a regular basis.  When at item hits the lowest price, you will know it’s the right time to stock up.  After a period of time you will also be able to track how often the item goes on sale.  This will help you plan how much to buy before you need to stock up again.

8. Use rain checks. If the store is out of a sale item, make sure to always ask for a rain check.  You will be able to purchase that item at a later date for the sale price.  If an item is at rock bottom pricing, go back to the store on the last day of the sale and check for availability.  If the item is out of stock, request a rain check and hold on to it.  You may be able couple it with a coupon in the following weeks for even greater savings!

9. Avoid temptations. The easiest way to avoid temptation is not shop hungry!  Another way is to be strategic while you shop.  If you don’t have pets, use the pet food aisle to get to the back of the store.  If you don’t buy personal items at the grocery store, head down the beauty or baby item aisle.  You’ll avoid a lot more temptation than if you were to head down the ice cream aisle!

10. Pay attention to the register. Make sure your items ring up at the price you are expecting.  Also watch and listen as your coupons are scanned.  Make sure each one is successfully discounted off your receipt.  If your coupon beeps in error, make sure it gets manually pushed through by the cashier.